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The Eiffel Tower: A Dark History

Often called the most iconic symbol of France, the Eiffel Tower is a representation of pride, beauty, and some serious exercise. It's history, however, is even more magnificent than the tower itself in my opinion. Although at first the most prominent Parisian artists despised the tower thinking it was a threat to French art and history. One of the saddest aspects, though, is the accidental deaths by visitors to the tower. In 1912, a man named Franz Reichelt wanted to test out a parachute he had made, so he jumped off of the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, and ended up falling the 187 feet to his death. He was only 33 years old.

Another man, named Angelo Scagliotti died tragically in an accident on the tower. He was an Italian who worked on the tower. A few days before it was opened to the public, he decided to take his girlfriend up to the tower. As he was showing off some of his work, he lost his footing and fell to his death. This is the only fatality suffered by one of the construction workers for the tower, which is a feat considering the work involved to build it.

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